Michael C. Maibach, President & CEO

European-American Business Council
202-637-3444 ~ www.EABC.org

The European-American Business Council (EABC) applauds U.S. Commissioner of Customs Robert Bonner and European Commission Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union Robert Verrue on the occasion of their formal signing of the US-EU Customs Agreement.

The Customs Agreement is part of an on-going international effort to increase supply chain security for the free movement of legitimate international trade. It will allow for full implementation of the US Container Security Initiative (CSI) in European ports, and extend reciprocity for EU Customs officials in US ports. The expansion of CSI will permit the operation of US and EU Customs agents in each other’s territories for the purpose of conducting port inspections of goods intended for shipment between US and EU ports.

As of April 22, all EU states will be eligible for immediate participation in CSI. Commissioner Bonner and Director-General Verrue have indicated that CSI, which is already operational in 9 European ports, would quickly expand to 10 more EU ports, including ports in the EU10 accession countries after May 1. “The EABC applauds and encourages this cooperative development”, remarked EABC’s President, Michael Maibach.

The EABC also welcomes this opportunity to help US and EU authorities develop regulations to meet the twin stated goals of the agreement - to secure our nations’ borders and ports, while at the same time allowing for maximum trade facilitation. To this end, the EABC anticipates robust US-EU efforts to develop harmonized standards for data elements, timing requirements, and customs forms in the implementation of security measures under the agreement.
EABC Co-Chairmen, Stuart Eizenstat and Hugo Paemen commented: “We congratulate Commissioner Bonner and Director-General Verrue on this Customs security collaboration. This is a model of the kind of Trans-Atlantic cooperation that is vital in a global marketplace which must be secured across borders.”

The EABC welcomes this step towards closer trade cooperation between the world’s largest trading blocks, and offers the assistance of EABC member companies in bringing the aspirations of this agreement to fruition.